The Evening Read: I wasn’t muddled...it was dementia aged 61

Gina Shaw who is the star of a dementia awareness campaign which will be on television.

Share

Get daily updates directly to your inbox

Thank you for subscribing!

Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email

A year ago, Gina Shaw made a promise to herself.

Diagnosed, aged just 61, with Alzheimer’s disease, she decided to cram life to the full; to do anything and everything she possibly could.

“I said to myself that I was going to do more and better, to not stop anything, and I haven’t,” smiles the former children’s nurse. “So every day is about making memories.

“There’s no point hiding away, sitting in front of the telly, you have to get out and do stuff because then you never know what might happen.”

In fact, when Gina decided on one particular day to take a chance, she ended up appearing on TV rather than just watching it.

Attending a group for fellow Alzheimer’s sufferers at Mossley Hill Hospital, members were asked if anyone would like to get involved in a new project.

“They were looking for people of a certain age and preferably women,” says Gina. “The room went silent, but I said ‘I’ll give it a go’ and then I think everyone else breathed a huge sigh of relief!”

The project in question was Dementia Friends, which aims to help people understand more about dementia, and the little ways they can make life easier for those with the condition.

And Gina’s role proved to be rather more high profile than she’d expected. The mum of two grown-up children became the face – and singing voice – of the campaign, and a TV advert based on the Beatles song With A Little Help From My Friends.

The ad, which has been running for the past couple of weeks, features her alongside a host of celebrities including Paul O’Grady, Amanda Holden and This Morning couple Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford.

They’re all supporting the idea, but Gina says it’s actually the involvement of her friends which she’s loved most.

“Having them do it was nice but it was lovely to have other friends with dementia on the advert as well,” she says. “And I think people are taken by it, the response has been really heartening. One of the nice things that I hadn’t expected is that lots of people I haven’t spoken to in ages, since before my diagnosis, have got back in touch.

“That’s the whole core of the campaign – saying to people that they don’t have to be frightened or worried about speaking to people with dementia. If they see someone in the supermarket, for instance, who’s looking a bit confused, they’ll know what to do and to say. People often aren’t sure how to react, but just an hour’s training could make all the difference.”

Gina, who lives in Old Swan, has had 12 months to come to terms with having Alzheimer’s herself. She first suspected she may have the disease when, as a night sister at Alder Hey, she began to find calculating medicines increasingly difficult.

Having started her nursing career as a cadet in 1969 at the old Royal Liverpool Children’s Hospital, she moved to Alder Hey where, she says, calculations were her forté.

“I was very strict with my students about it,” she smiles. “In paediatric nursing, as with elderly nursing, there is no margin for error. I used to be spot on, I could do it in my head without any trouble, every time.

“Then gradually it became a slower process. I’d have to write more down, and even then I still found it hard. It wasn’t just a case of getting muddled, it was a complete blank. I used to be able to see figures in my head, but they just weren’t there anymore. It was like looking for something that had gone.”

Gina went to her GP three times, concerned about her deterioration, before she was finally referred to a consultant.

“He came to the house, did all the tests, looked over his glasses at me and said ‘you’ve got Alzheimer’s disease’,” she recalls.

“It sounds strange, but I was actually relieved. I was upset by the diagnosis, and I had a little cry, but I thought at least if I know what it is, I can deal with it and get help.”

Up until that day, Gina admits her perceptions of dementia were outdated.

“I thought I’d end up wandering round the streets, not knowing where I was or who I was,” she says. “I know different now ...”

Gina – who now has her husband Graham and son Nathan as carers – has spent the last year keeping as physically and mentally active as she can.

“We’re very lucky to have lots of places in Liverpool where people with dementia can go, so I do lots of activities, I go to cognitive therapy sessions and I’ve even helped develop an app with the House of Memories – which is amazing in itself, that | even know what an app is!” she jokes.

Dementia Awareness Week means Gina’s TV ad is on more than ever, which, she says, still surprises her. “I’ll look up and think, oh, there I am again,” she laughs.

“But if it makes people think, then that’s good. Dementia can be an embarrassing condition because you do forget things, you do lose your words sometimes, but I try to make a joke of it and then people are more comfortable.

“They can’t anticipate how my condition will develop, but I try to maintain good mental health and make the best of it.

“Dementia Friends will hopefully help more people to understand and be aware. It’s really just a question of being a little kinder.”